Communication is an essential part of any job. But if you work with heavy equipment or in a dangerous job setting, communication can mean the difference between a workplace injury and keeping employees safe. How can even a little better communication help your teams stay safer this year?
Why Communication Matters to Team Safety
Communicating that there is a problem with equipment. Sharing a concern about a troublesome job site. Talking to employees about security risks. These are all reasons to increase communication on the jobsite, and also good examples of why you should. Communicating mistakes, malfunctions, concerns, or errors, is absolutely key to a safer work environment.
Communication and safety start with the orientation and training you give new workers. Sharing best practices about wearing the right equipment or teaching the workforce how to use the proper tools, are all critical to setting the right safety environment for every employee that comes on the job. Employees must be made aware of the on-the-job risks and how to avoid them. They should also be trained in how to handle a potentially difficult scenario that causes that risk.
As the employee gets to work, establishing open communication around safety protocols or concerns about behaviors or equipment is very important to making sure everyone stays a little safer. Open communication means that you’re willing to hear employee suggestions about how to make things safer. If your workforce isn’t afraid to report issues, then you can make changes to workflows, equipment, or employee behaviors that were potentially causing a safety risk. It means that an employee that’s following the safety rules feels comfortable talking to another employee or a manager when that employee is breaking them and putting everyone at risk. To do this well, employers and employees should focus on the behavior and not make it personal.
On the job, communication is critical. It helps workers keep track of everything that's going on around them. It's the same reason why our heavy equipment has backup alarms—so everyone is aware that they're coming. Teamwork requires that all the moving parts of your business talk to each other quickly and efficiently. This is especially true if the communication is about a task that could potentially harm another employee.
Communication is also important for employers to share the latest information around safety. Communication can help companies develop a stronger culture of safety and ultimately cut down on at-work injuries that cost the employer and the employee lots of time, money, and pain and suffering.
Finally, employers should communicate (loudly!) when employees are getting it right. Setting up a workplace recognition program for employees is a great way to reward them for doing a great job keeping everyone safe. EHS Today says, “However, most employees say they almost never receive one-on-one praise or appreciation for their safety-related behaviors.” This is a big lost opportunity for employers seeking to communicate a strong safety culture to their workforce.
Now that you see how communication and safety are linked, why not talk to People Plus about the kinds of employees you’d like to see on the job. We specialize in providing top talent to employers and can help your organization meeting its hiring goals. Call on us today.